Yangyang (양양) is in Gangwon. It is a name of a small town and of a bigger county of which it is the capital.

Understand

Yangyang is a small coastal town (population: ~30,000) and a county in the very north east of South Korea in Gangwon province.

Get in

By plane

• 1 Yangyang International Airport (YNY ^IATA). As of September 2015 has no scheduled flights. There were previously scheduled routes to Seoul Gimpo, Busan's Gimhae International Airport and Gwangju that may operate again. The nearby ski resort area of Pyeongchang held the 2018 Winter Olympics.  

By bus

A number of buses leave from Seoul Express Bus Terminal daily, headed for Yangyang or Sokcho. Travel time on the tickets says 2 hours, but 3½-4 hours is more realistic (depending on traffic and weather conditions).

When buying a return ticket, this paper ticket might work only for the Seoul/Yangyang leg. Before departure back to Seoul, the ticket would then need to be exchanged at Yangyang Intercity Bus Terminal. (August 2020)

There are a few local buses (Line 9) that make the trip between the Yangyang bus station and the Naksan beach area, but they leave infrequently. A taxi ride for that trip takes around 5 minutes and costs around ₩8,000. (August 2020).

See

• 1 Naksansa (낙산사). Possibly the main draw of Yangyang besides the ocean. Beautiful temple area with both mountain and ocean views. Open daily (in the summer it closes around 6 pm - might be different in other seasons). 4,000 KRW entry fee. (updated Aug 2020)
• Naksan Beach (낙산 Beach). Yangyang's main beach with swimming opportunities and parasol rental. 
• 2 Hajodae Beach (하조대해수욕장), Hyeonbuk-myeon, Yangyang-gun, Gangwon-do 강원 양양군 현북면. A 1.5-km-long beach with fine, white sand. 
• Yangyang Airport. South Korea spent a great deal of money building airports all over the country. Yangyang airport is probably the best example of this, having an infamous reputation of being a fully functional international airport with hardly any flights at all. 

Do

• Song-i Festival (Pine Mushroom Festival). Early October, for five day. Song-i mushrooms are known as the golden mushrooms, diamonds of the forest and mysterious spiritual beings. The Song-i Mushroom Festival is an opportunity to observe the habitat of song-i mushrooms that are strictly monitored. Anyone can enjoy the mysteriousness of these delicious pine mushrooms, but reservations should be made in advance. 
• Yangyang Salmon Festival. Early November, for two days. This festival is held in the fresh waters of Namdaecheon, the biggest Korean river up which salmon swim. Apart from a good look at the natural ecosystem, there are various events such as catching salmon with bare hands, regular salmon fishing, and running with salmon. 

Buy

The gift store at Naksansa temple has some nice or interesting souvenirs.

And in the town there are several shops and stalls selling dried fish, squid, ...

Eat

The line of restaurants along Naksan Beach mostly offer dishes with raw fish. For solo travellers, Hoe-deop-bap (회덮밥) is a good meal choice.

In the street Naksan-sa-ro (낙산사로), also nearby, the focus is more on baked/grilled fish. If looking for a vegetarian main dish, quite delicious Deodeok-gui (더덕구이) can be found here, too.

Sleep

It feels like the Naksan area of Yangyang consists almost entirely of "motels", all not-so-cheap with mediocre quality. If Korean is not a problem, it might be best to check out Korean websites and compare to find the best deal.

• Naksan Beach Hotel, ☏ +82 33-672-4000. Deluxe, 136 rooms 
• Osaek Green Yard Hotel, ☏ +82 33-672-8500. 155 rooms 
• Freya Naksan Resortel, ☏ +82 33-672-5000. 228 rooms 

Go next

• The town of Sokcho and the Seoraksan National Park are a short journey to the North.